The Forbidden City as seen from the hill in JingShan park
to the north.
Introduction
to the Forbidden City
紫禁城简介
In the early 1400s, the third Ming
Emperor, YongLe, moved the capital of China to Beijing.
In 1406, he began construction of a new 'Forbidden City'
that would include the imperial palace complex.
The Forbidden City,
located at the exact center of the ancient city of
Beijing, was the home and center of power for 24 emperors
during the mid to latter Ming and Qing dynasties.
早在1400年，明朝的第三个皇帝—永乐，迁都到北京。在1406年，他开始建造紫禁城一个新的皇宫建筑群。
紫禁城位于北京古城的最中心，是明清期间24个皇帝的居住地也是权力中心。
Now officially renamed as
the 'Palace Museum' ('GuGong' in chinese, meaning simply
'old palace'), the extensive grounds of the Forbidden
City cover 720,000 square meters (74 hectares). There are
800 buildings that have in total about 9,000 rooms. The
Forbidden City is the world's largest palace complex.
Indeed, the Forbidden City
is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of
preserved ancient wooden structures in the world, and was
declared a World Heritage Site in 1987.
The Forbidden City is
located directly to the north of Tian'AnMen Square and is
accessible from the square via Tian'AnMen Gate.
现在官方正式更名为“故宫博物馆”（中文名为“故宫”，意思很简单“旧的宫殿”），故宫占地约720，000平方米（74公顷）。总共有800个建筑9000间房。紫禁城是世界上最大的宫廷建筑群。
确实，紫禁城被联合国科教文组织列为世界上最大的收藏保护最完整的古木建筑体系，1987年被列为世界文化遗址。
它位于天安门广场的正北面，穿过天安门即可到达。
Although no longer
occupied by royalty, the Forbidden City remains a symbol
of sovereignty and the image of its entrance gate appears
on the seal of the People's Republic of China.
尽管它被皇权占用的时间不是太长，但紫禁城仍然是一个国家主权和形象的象征，在它大门的入口仍有出现“中华人民共和国”字样的的印章。
Today, the Forbidden City
is a public museum and has
become one of the most popular tourist attractions in the
world. Visitors can see the traditional palace
architecture up close, enjoy the treasures kept in the palace, and
learn of the legends and anecdotes about the imperial
family and the court.
今天，紫禁城是一个公共博物院。紫禁城已经变成世界世界上最受欢迎的旅游景点之一。游客们可以看到传统的宫廷建筑，可以欣赏保存在宫殿里的珍宝，还可以听到一些关于皇族和朝廷的传说和轶事。
Traditional style costumes.
Visitors can dress up to have their photo taken.
The chinese government have invested a
lot of time and money in the the Forbidden City and it is
now a fantastic place to wander and dream of times gone
by. White marble, walls of terra-cotta, roofs of glazed
golden tiles, and woodwork finished with vermillion
paint, lacquer and gilding unite to create an effect of
outstanding beauty.
Recently, the Forbidden City has been
under a major renovation that has limited visitors to a
few areas. However, it remains open and the great
majority of places are accessible.
中国政府在紫禁城上花了大量的时间和财力，它是一个奇幻的地方去漫步、去梦想着过去的时代。白色的大理石、棕红色的高墙、金色的琉璃瓦、朱红色的木器、漆和金箔联合起来的效果是一种特殊的美。
近来，紫禁城处于大修阶段，游客只能有限的访问几个区域。然而，它仍然开放，而且大部分地方都是可以接近的。
 Next
: History of the Forbidden City
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